Analysis of the Relationship between Hydraulic Fracture Pressure Trends and Facies of the Montney Formation

Virginillo, Nicole Antonette

Analysis of the Relationship between Hydraulic Fracture Pressure Trends and Facies of the Montney Formation

dc.contributor.advisor	Pedersen, Per
dc.contributor.author	Virginillo, Nicole Antonette
dc.contributor.committeemember	Eaton, David
dc.contributor.committeemember	Clarkson, Christopher
dc.date	2024-05
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-30T22:02:55Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-30T22:02:55Z
dc.date.issued	2024-04-24
dc.description.abstract	This study involves the integration of multiple disciplines and utilizes a novel approach to understand how geological properties influence the behaviour of hydraulic fractures in the Lower Triassic Montney Formation in the Pouce Coupe area in Alberta. Hydraulic fracturing data presents many uncertainties, and the utilization of different datasets is important to understand the different parameters impacting hydraulic fractures. The Montney Formation is often thought to be a homogeneous siltstone unit but there are significant heterogeneities present throughout the formation which have an impact on the efficacy of hydraulic fractures. This study utilizes the patterns portrayed by pressure curves reported in each stage of a horizontal well to determine how different geological properties influence hydraulic fractures. These pressure curves prove to be a useful dataset that brings insight into how geological properties influence the behaviour of hydraulic fractures. This study investigates the pressure curves in multi-stage horizontal wells completed using different technologies and landed in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Montney members. These pressure curves portray different patterns depending on completion technology and which member the wells are landed in. There is significant variation in geological properties within the Upper, Middle, and Lower Montney thus to further analyze how geological properties influence hydraulic fractures, this study investigates pressure curves of wells landed in different facies throughout the Montney. These facies have different sedimentological heterogeneities, changing bedding plane frequency, and natural fractures and faults which form geological barriers that hinder the productivity of hydraulic fractures. Results indicate that these geological properties impact fracture initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures based on the patterns portrayed by the different segments along the pressure curves. This research implies that pressure curves are a useful dataset that can be utilized to further understand the influence that different geological properties have on hydraulic fractures. Rather than focusing on numerical point values to provide insight into hydraulic fracture behaviour, these pressure curves analyze how pressure changes with time to visualize the evolution of induced fractures and how they transform due to variations in the reservoir geology.
dc.identifier.citation	Virginillo, N. A. (2024). Analysis of the relationship between hydraulic fracture pressure trends and facies of the Montney Formation (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118602
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject.classification	Geology
dc.title	Analysis of the Relationship between Hydraulic Fracture Pressure Trends and Facies of the Montney Formation
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Geoscience
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.